President Trump will have a schedule full of meetings with other world leaders at this week’s G-20 summit in Argentina, one that does not include the Saudi crown prince, the White House announced Tuesday.
During the gathering in Buenos Aires, which will take place Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, the president intends to hold bilateral meetings with Argentinian President Mauricio Macri, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said during a White House press briefing. He will also participate in a working dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
During Trump’s meeting with Abe, the two will be joined by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, national security adviser John Bolton told reporters.
Also on the president’s schedule are meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“We’re trying to fill every minute of the president’s schedule,” Bolton said.
The decision not to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes as U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia have been in the spotlight following the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The president has continued to stand by Saudi Arabia in the wake of Khashoggi’s disappearance last month. The journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The CIA has reportedly determined with “high confidence” that the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s assassination. Trump, however, has said it was difficult to definitively prove he was involved.
Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, told reporters that ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi, the president is optimistic a trade deal between the U.S. and China can be reached.
“He is open to that,” he said.
